Kel's Heartache
by San's Old Sn
Summary: The squires are out camping and Kel and Neal get lost. Then it's back to the palace and Kel gets mixed up when a new lady comes to court and Neal is smitten with her. Cleon expresses his feelings for Kel. A Kel/Neal or Kel/Cleon (mulitple endings).
1. Staring

A/N: Okay this is my first fic so bear with me okay? Please review! And there isn't any fluff until the second chapter. Happy Reading ; )!  
  
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Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me. They all belong to the goddess, and genius, Tamora Pierce. All I own at this point it the plot.  
  
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Kel's Heartache, Chapter One: Staring  
  
  
  
By San  
  
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Keladry of Mindelan uttered a long line of Yamani curse-words under her breath as she burned her finger while trying to get the hare she was cooking.  
  
Nealan of Queenscove, who stood next to her, had just as much trouble with his pheasant. "Well I think mine's as roasted as it will ever be." Neal announced.  
  
Kel eyed her hare, trying to ignore the burned edges. "Mine too." They lifted their meat off the fire and set them on the makeshift table where they had prepared the rest of the meal.  
  
Lord Wyldon marched out of his kingly tent arguing passionately with Sir Gareth the younger who accompanied the squires on this trip just outside of fief Dunlath. "Anyone that wants their share of supper report to Jesslaw and Nicoline." And with that her and Gareth turned back inside the tent to eat actual food and finish their argument.  
  
Each and every one of the squires enclosed on the Owen and Esmond like they were hungry and ravenous animals, and in a way, they were.  
  
When Kel, Neal, Cleon, Seaver, Merric Faleron, Roald and everybody else in their group (except Esmond and Owen cause they're on server duty) had gotten their food the group of squire sat in a circle while they ate their food.  
  
"I can't get over how unfair the Stump is!" Merric said out of the blue when everyone eyed him with the interest he added, "He gets good food and we have to eat this." He motioned to his plate.  
  
"Oh Gee thanks Merric." Kel replied stubbornly. Merric just shrugged and continued to eat hastily again. For a couple of minutes there was an awkward silence.  
  
Kel shoved a massive lump of corn her mouth and chewed sloppily. She was too hungry to care about her etiquette. Kel had the uncomfortable sensation that she was being watched. She glanced up from her plate to see Neal's eyes fixed on her. Oh great, she thought, the one I love is sitting here seeing me eat like a pig. She quickly swallowed and removed her glare from Neal.  
  
She scanned the faces of her fellow squires alarmed to see Cleon; he was toasting her. His deep gray eyes filled with longing that all but Kel understood. Seaver shifted in his seat and peeled his eyes away from Cleon only to look at Kel.  
  
Kel nervously gazed down on her half-eaten food. After a minute she peeked up to see Neal, Cleon and Seaver still staring. Her eyes rested on each of her friend's bodies, only to find that they were all looking at her. Neal, Cleon, Seaver, Merric, Faleron, Roald. Roald, Faleron, Merric, Seaver, Cleon, Neal. Cleon, Merric Seaver, Neal, Roald, Faleron. Seaver, Cleon, Neal, Roald, Faleron, Merric. Merric, Faleron, Roald, Neal, Cleon, Seaver. All staring. At her.  
  
Kel's Yamani calmness slipped away and suddenly she burst and let out an ear-splitting shriek and ran off.  
  
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A/N: PLEASE REVIEW! I won't carry on this fic if nobody reviews!  
  
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Until Later,  
  
(`'·.¸(`'·.¸*¤*¸.·'´)¸.·' ´)  
  
«´¨`·..¤*SaN*¤..·´¨`»  
  
(¸.·'´(¸.·'´*¤*`'· .¸)`'·.) 


	2. Thoughts

A/N: I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed! I LOVE YOU GUYS (well not really.......) And here we go.... the next installment. AND PLEASE REVIEW!  
  
Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me. They all belong to the goddess, and genius, Tamora Pierce. All I own at this point it the plot.  
  
  
  
Kel kept running until she felt like her legs would fall off. She stopped by quite a large lake. It's surface was as smooth as glass and the gorgeous sunset in deep purples and bright pinks reflected into the lake in a most attractive way.  
  
Kel dropped on the hard-packed soil and did the first thing that came to mind "Dolt." She hit her head against the ground, "Dolt, Dolt, DOLT!" Why did I have to run off like that? Now they're all going to think I'm crazy or possessed or something. She thought. It was these times she wished most that she had stayed in Yamani training.  
  
She gazed deeply at the surface of the lake, her eyelashes fluttering. Who could ever love me she asked no one in particular but herself. A well built cow, the boy with breasts. She plunged her head in the icy cold water and shivered.  
  
At least that brought her back into reailty. Well....at least a little bit. Kel turned over on her back letting her hair fall into the deadly freezing water. And stared vacantly up at the sky. If anyone knew what she was going through. She thought about what she was going to tell her friends when she got back, or worse, Lord Wyldon.  
  
When Kel heard a gentle stirring in the bushes she sat bolt upright. "Who is it?" she asked, alarmed.  
  
A/N: Like I said above and the Review box is calling you.....you know you want too.......Until Later,  
  
  
  
Oke 


	3. Spy

A/N: Okay here it is... I'd like to thank everybody who reviewed! It really helps guys!  
  
Disclaimer: Okay I'm hoping you get the point here. I'm not Tamora Pierce, none of these characters belong to me, only the plot. And if I was really Tamora Pierce why would I be sitting here and uploading stuff onto fanfiction.net???  
  
  
  
"Hello?" Kel cried. "I know you're there, I can hear you!" The rustle in the shrubs stopped abruptly at the sound of her voice. Whoever was spying on her decided to give up and reveal himself.  
  
"Neal?!" Kel yelled, astonished. "What makes you think you have the right to come and spy on me!?" "I wasn't spying, well not exactly...." Neal drifted off and then started back when Kel flashed him a spiteful yet doubtful look. "I wanted to see if you were all right. What happened? I mean... back there."  
  
Kel sighed. This particular topic was something she hadn't wanted to discuss. "I don't know what you're talking about." she replied stiffly. Neal lifted a quizzical eyebrow, "You know what I'm talking about.""No I don't.""Yes you do.""No I don't.""Yes you do.""No I don't.""Yes you do.""No I don't." Neal threw his arms up in frustration, resolving that Kel obviously didn't want to talk about her expebbley sudden exit from dinner.  
  
Neal fidgeted, trying to find something to do with his hands. He plucked up a smooth, flat peeble and skipped it off the lake's exterior (A/N: I tried not to use the word surface again). It skimmed the water, touching five times before dropping into the water. Kel absent-mindedly selected a rock and skipped it too.  
  
This continued on for mintues an understood silence between them. That didn't stop Kel from thinking worried thoughts like: Should I say something? and, Why isn't he saying anything?  
  
Kel finally broke the silence with, "So what did happen after I er.....left?" Neal laughed nervously. "Cleon got a bit jumpy and Faleron sat there really confused he really didn't know what was going on. And everybody else was kind of shocked. I mean... you weren't acting exactly like yourself. "  
  
"Yeah about that...."Kel murmured, unaware of what was coming out of her mouth at that time, "I just......just...well I don't know what came over me. But everybody was staring at me." She shuddered, "Did I have food on my face or something?"  
  
Neal chuckled, amused that she didn't realize the meanings in the looks from her fellow squires. "We'd better get back to camp or the Stump will have our heads." Neal retorted, intsead of answering the asked question.  
  
Kel eyed him supiciously, secretly wondering why he hadn't answered her question. In place of questioning why she just replied, her face Yamani blank, "Yeah, you're right. Which way did you come from?"  
  
Neal glanced around the greenery boredering the lake, apparently confused. "I'm not sure...." he explained shakily.  
  
"What?!" Kel half-yelled, "You shouldn't of come here now we're lost!" "You would have been lost if I had or hadn't come." Neal pointed out. Kel shook it off, "Yeah but now we're both lost!'  
  
  
  
A/N: Not much of a cliffhanger...hmmm????? REVIEW PLEASE!  
  
Until Later,  
  
  
  
Oke 


	4. Lost

A/N: Okay here it is..the really short and pathetic chapter! YAY! I'd like to thank everybody who reviewed!  
  
Disclaimer: Okay you get the drill....Me no Tammy...Mine not charas...jus plottie......Sorry.....I"M HYPER!....I've got to stop these dots...  
  
  
  
"So what do we do now?" Kel inquired. "I don't know, you're the one who's supposed to know!" Neal replied nervously. "Why do I have to be the one to figure out everything!" Kel said, carrying their childish argument further. "If I knew I'd tell you, but fortunately I don't." Neal quipped back. "Why would it be fortunately?" Kel retorted.  
  
All Kel got as her reply Neal opening and closing his mouth, he was caught off guard. "Meathead." She uttered and elbowed him the ribs. Neal decided it was better not to probe further if he still wanted to be able to walk. He unsheathed his dagger and began cutting a path. "Neal! What are you doing?" "What do you think I'm doing? I'm clearing a path!"  
  
Kel rolled her eyes."We're just going to get lost! Does anything get through that thick skull of yours?" "Eish...someone's touchy...."Neal murmured, "Well then what you propose we do Miss Know-it-all?" Kel shoved him over at that comment and replied, "We're going to stay here.""Here? In the cold?" "Have you got a better idea Mr.. Let's-do-the-first-thing-that- comes-to-mind?" Neal shut up. (A/N: Wow that's a first!)  
  
So Neal and Kel found the softest sports of ground a lazily dozed off.  
  
A/N: Like I said, really short and pathetic chapter. If you want more, I'll have to get at least 20 reviews, It's really not that hard and it'll only take an eensy weensy second of your time so.....PRESS THE GOD-DAMN REVIEW BUTTON! Oh and please excuse my language.....  
  
  
  
Until Later,  
  
  
  
Oke 


	5. Attempted Rescue

A/N: SO I know I haven't updated in a longggggggg time but, really who does have the time. I promise I will finish this fic... somewhere in far future. But from now to then I'll try to update all I can. And to the people who reviewed thanks so much, it means a lot to me! Oh and if someone comments I'll comment on one of their stories and if someone makes me one of their favorite authors or this story on of their favorites then I'll do the same to them. Oh yes my spellchecker is broken so please excuse any mistakes. Now on to the story....  
  
Disclaimer: Need I say it?  
  
"Hey Owen! They're here!" Kel her a clear voice call. Drowsily she raised her head to view the speaker, or rather, yeller.  
  
She surveyed Seaver with a relived look plastered on his face. A muffled cry came out from the shrubs as Owen, boasting a dirtied gray tunic strugged from the braches steady grasp.  
  
Kel cuffed Neal lightly on the head to awaken him. "Whassdamatter!" Neal muttered groggily. "Wake up Queenscove!" Kel barked in a reply.  
  
"What are you guys doing here?" Seaver exclaimed, in more of a statement then a question. Neal grunted and Kel took the opprtunity to answer for him.  
  
"Oh we're just having the grandest party." Kel replied dryly. Owen sent her a confused glare. "WE WERE LOST!" Kel all but whispered.  
  
Neal jumped at this and fully woke.  
  
"Oh." Owen stated blandly.  
  
"So you can get us out of here, right?" Neal directed his inquiry toward Seaver. "Yeah sure we came from right over.... Owen, where did we come from?" Seaver said uncertaintly.  
  
"I dunno...." Owen answered after her spun around, searching.  
  
Kel slapped her foredhead, "Mithros spare me, you dimwitts can't get us out of here?"  
  
"Heh-heh..........ha.....ha....ho.......AHHHHHH!!!!" Seaver began yelling when Kel lunged for him.  
  
A/N: If you want more, I'll have to get a lot of reviews! Thanks so much everyone!  
  
Until Later,  
  
Oke 


	6. LongAwaited Help

A/N: Okay, I'm keeping right on track now. And I know the chapters are really, really short, but eventually there will be like 28 of them or so. Now, to be annoying I have to have 40 reviews before I update. That mean I need 8 people to reivew! SO DO IT! (Just Do It....Nike) (I'm a....loser)  
  
Disclaimer: I own only the plot the rest is TamTam Piercy's work.  
  
After Kel was done throwing punches at Seaver they all squatted down on rocks by a particularlly towering willow and shaded themselves from the radiant sun.  
  
"How long d'you think it'll take them to find us?" Neal questioned them all. Kel shrugged, "Maybe hours."  
  
"Oh this isn't jolly at all." Owen replied loftily. Seaver snickered, at this point in time Owen still managed to squeeze in the word jolly.  
  
Kel moaned. This is my fault, she thought, and now I'm paying for it, being stuck with these three fools.  
  
Neal eyed her with interest after her moan. "What?" Kel snapped, unable to resist the crabby feeling inside her.  
  
"Mithros, Mynoss and Shakith, why me?!" Kel yelled.  
  
After 2 hours of this madness Kel wasn't completely sure she was sane. But like a miracle from the Goddess the bushes started rustle again and out popped Sir Gareth and three squires, one of the squires being Cleon.  
  
  
  
A/N: Yeah, yeah shorter then the short one, eh? Thanks so much everyone who reviewed! Remember, 40 reviews, chop chop....  
  
Until Later,  
  
Oke 


	7. Palace Preps

A/N: So okay, I was fed up with everyone saying that I should write longer chapters. So I went for it. I hope this is long enough for all of you. Please keep in mind that I know this isn't THAT long. Just long for me. I am usually busy and occasionally lazy. And if you can't tell, they are back at the palace in this chapter, after their camp out ended.  
  
Disclaimer: This plot is the only thing I own. All the characters belong to Tamora Pierce. Except Neal. *hugs Neal tightly* He's mine...... Fine, he's not *sobs*. All characters - even Neal *wails* belong to Tamora Pierce.  
  
  
  
Kel was broken away from her steady doze by the dreadfully loud noise of some early caller attempting to break down her door. Or, rather, just trying to wake her.  
  
"Uhhhck..." Kel moaned and somehow managed to haul herself from her bed. "'Oo is it?" she spoke, clearly enough for being only half asleep.  
  
"It's me." Kel's heart skipped a beat as she heard his voice. "One second." She swiftly ran a brush through her honey brown locks. She then unlocked her door and let Neal in. "You're not dressed yet? The Stump'll be furious if you're late." quipped Neal.  
  
Kel groaned, "I know, I know. I'll be only a minute or two." She made her way to her grand oak dresser and picked out a royal blue tunic. Into the bathroom Kel then slumped and left Neal chuckling and her morning-self.  
  
"Ready yet Kel?" yelled Neal from her room. "Yep." Kel called and opened the door. "Let's Go."  
  
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"Did you hear about the ball tommorrow night?" Neal asked Kel. She laughed. "How could I not? You know how gossip travels around here." Neal snicked at that. "And we can go and not serve." Then his face turned thoughtful. He opened his mouth as if to say something then clamped it shut as they entered the eating hall and the chatter of hungry pages and squires erupted in their ears.  
  
Kel and Neal filled up their trays and strode to the table where their friends were sitting. Kel positioned herslef nest to Cleon and Roald while Neal squashed in across from her with Own on is left and Faleron on his right.  
  
Directly after they sat down Lord Wyldon pompously saunterd in. All the boys and Kel stood up, alert. He prolonged his journey to the head table, as if just to aggravate them. When he stiffly squatted on his chair there was the creak of wood and they all sat.  
  
While he was carefully announcing the daily prayer, Faleron hissed, "What took you guys so long?" Neal murmured back, "Lady Keladry had yet to awaken." Kel jokingly stuck her tongue out and kicked Neal under the table.  
  
When Lord Wyldon had finished they all hastened to add "So Mote it be!"  
  
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Breakfast was a bustling affair, with over 20 discussions going on at once and boys getting up to refill their plates. Kel's mind was off somewhere else and she didn't notice the last thing Roald said was a question.  
  
"Huh?" Kel inquired dully after she snapped back into reality. "Roald just asked you if you were going to help set up for the ball." Merric replied as if it was the most obvious thing in all of Tortall.  
  
"Oh. Are any of you guys?" Most of her friends nodded. "Then I suppose so."  
  
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When they were done decorating, the ball room looked spectacular with it's emerald green (which Neal had to point out, matched his eyes) and purple- blue banners, beautiful freshly picked flowers along with elegant furniture. Everything was perfectly gorgeous for the next night.  
  
Kel found herself walking with Cleon to her room. "So ....um.... Kel, I - I" He stammered while he fiddled with his hands as they stood outside her door. "I was wondering if you - uh....wanted to ...go to the...uh...ball with....um....me?"  
  
A/N: *cackles* Tee Hee, CLIFFHANGER! Okay so I know it wasn't so long, but, hey, I tried. And don't worry all Neal lovers! There will be multiple endings, even though this was originally only a Kel/Neal fic. Oooh! And you could read my new fic that should be coming out soon called Daine Goes to the Convent. Sounds really messed up, eh? By the way I'm not Canadian. Now be extremely nice and REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! Get the point?  
  
Until Later,  
  
  
  
Oke 


	8. AN

A/N: *waves* Hiya Folks! This is my aggravating A/N chapter, although I hate torment my readers with this. I would just like everyone to know, who didn't read my last A/N that this fic will have multiple endings so you can chose whether she ends up with Neal, Cleon or possibly someone else. Also, on a completely unrelated topic, I'm starting a RPG that takes place at a Tortallan university and need some helpers in creating it. Just e-mail me at ilaugh2much@hehe.com if you want help. I want 100 reviews before I post the next chapter, I'm already done with it *cackles*. But I mean I want however many there is left to get a total of 100 .. Heh. Oh by the way, I'll get rid of this when I post then next chapter.  
  
  
  
Until Later,  
  
  
  
San a.k.a. Oke 


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